You are never too old to learn

11/02/2008

Rosemary Jacob’s love for learning has taken her to various disciplines and to different countries with her desire for knowledge as strong as ever.

The Charles Darwin University graduate came to Darwin from England in 1971 with an honours degree in mathematics and eight years of teaching experience behind her. She soon became involved in teaching mathematics to matriculation level at Darwin High School.

As a result of the Commonwealth Teaching Service taking over responsibility for supplying teachers to the NT in 1974, Ms Jacob resigned from teaching and enrolled in a Diploma in Accounting at the Darwin Community College.

Wanting a Graduate Diploma in Education suitable for secondary mathematics teaching to enable her to become a properly qualified teacher, Ms Jacob was forced to look interstate. Completing the course externally in 1979, she then went on to teach at Casuarina Secondary School in 1980.

Education as a career took a back seat through the next few years as she found raising a teenage family while teaching teenagers became a stressful combination. She returned to teaching in 1984 and was at Casuarina Secondary School when it became Casuarina Senior College. In 1986 she was promoted to a senior teaching post which she held until 1989.

Ms Jacob then took up a post as a mathematics lecturer in the School of Technology, which at that time was part of the Institute of Technical and Further Education at the former Northern Territory University.

In 1993 she applied to Curtin University to do a Masters by thesis and did some preliminary units before embarking on her research topic, The Effect of Curriculum Change on Teachers and Students of Mathematics. This was completed in 1996 and she received the award of Master of Science (Science Education).

In semester 2, 2004 she enrolled in the CDU’s Bachelor of Laws Graduate Course, and at the start of 2005 she resigned to become a full-time student. During 2005 she was the first-year representative on the executive committee of the CDU Law Students’ Society (CDULSS) and in 2007 she was elected secretary of CDULSS. She also was the only nominee for the position of undergraduate student on the Council of CDU for 2006 and 2007.

She has recently filed an originating motion and accompanying affidavit to make application to the Supreme Court for admission to the local roll of lawyers. The admission ceremony in February will likely include three justices sitting, all of whom will be younger than Ms Jacob, as their retirement age is set at 70 - an age which she reached in 2006.